suddenly need to read FMA immediately
(I believe in fma manga supremacy)
Riza's Grandpa asks Roy to marry her.
So this one needs outside material to explain, but Arakawa confirmed in the 2nd Guidebook (released only in Japanese and French) that Grumman is Riza's maternal grandfather. Not necessarily a big Royai moment but, still it's interesting how Riza's only known living family ships it, and that Roy doesn't exactly say "no" to his request.
I am forever fascinated as to why any of this exists in the first place, what did you mean by this Arakawa? why have Grumman make this suggestion in the first place? 👀👀👀👀👀👀 What were you suggesting? 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
Anyway, I wish we had an in-text confirmation of Riza's relation to Grumman and I wish this moment had come back to the story at some point. Even if it was just Riza glaring at Grumman being like "Grandpa why are you trying to marry me off?????"
2. Roy's "Get your hands off my wife!" moment.
He really said, "is he bothering you queen?" I wish we had more protective Roy and frankly, I don't understand how this scene didn't make it to Brotherhood? Riza was getting manhandled by a tin can and clearly not into it. The fact that a tin can serial killer developed a crush on her is concerning to begin with. It just wouldn't be in character for Roy to be cool with this. Roy is also a jealous boyfriend, what can I say?
3. The "I'm glad you're alive" moment.
For some dumb reason, Brotherhood changed this so when Riza apologises for worrying him, he just snaps "save it for the end of the mission!" Like, why Brotherhood? why would Roy ever snap at Riza like that? especially when Riza is generally the one who is laser-focused on the mission. Roy has enough faith in her, he's not going to see this brief apology as her being distracted or less competent. The manga dialogue is also meant to show how Maes's death is still a fresh wound for Roy, so of course he's on edge at the prospect of losing Riza too.
4. He literally asks her out
I feel like both anime adaptations really wanted Roy to be more of a womaniser than he actually is. But this scene lowkey confirms Roy has limited game and he only really wants Riza. It feels like dude jumped at the opportunity to ask Riza out the moment she technically stopped being his subordinate.
5. Roy's codename for Riza actually coming back
Seriously, I love how Arakawa took the time to establish "Elizabeth" as Riza's codename only to use it later to have Madame Christmas suggest that Roy regularly spends time with "Elizabeth" to the point where it's weird that he isn't with her now. And then, when Roy bemoans how "another man took Elizabeth" (an obvious reference to Riza being taken hostage by Bradley) one of Christmas's girls gets excited at the idea she might have a chance with Roy. The suggestion is that Roy isn't normally available on account of his seeing Elizabeth.
It's a strong hint to the idea that Riza and Roy might have *something* going on and are bypassing the fraternization laws through codes. At the very least it suggests that Roy isn't interested in anyone but "Elizabeth". Also look how bummed out he is that his wife is gone. Why did the anime rob us of so much pathetic whipped Roy? WHY?
6. Just a lot more touching in general
There's actually a lot of touching between these two in the manga. It's mostly during the big fights like the Promised Day or the battle with Lust and it really cements them as a true battle couple.
In the case of the Promised day they are literally fighting in each other's arms. Riza is leaning on Roy as she's on the verge of passing out from her wounds, and Roy is clinging onto her now that she has become his eyes. The way they hold each other shows how they are each other's crutch and how one always empowers the other. It also symbolises how inseparable these two are as moments ago Roy was at the Gate and before that Riza was on the brink of death, they could have lost in each other for good but they're still standing strong together in spite of everything.
The post-Lust fight is just a nice moment were Roy clings onto Riza out of sheer relief that she's okay and he hasn't lost another loved one. Even though he's on the verge of passing out from pain and blood loss, he still finds the strength to reach out to her.
Then there's the scene in the tunnels where he lowers her gun for her. The noticeable difference in the manga is that he does this after he takes off his ignition gloves.
The anime forgets to do this. It seems like a minor difference but it's kind of a big point of characterisation. Because we know that Riza has been hurt by flame alchemy, from the process of having the tattoo done to her by a trusted parental figure at a young age, to the trauma of seeing how much damage it did at ishval, to her very literally being burned by the flames so that it won't do anymore damage. Roy is the one who burned her, he's the one who used her secret to do unspeakable damage and suffering, why would he hurt her again by letting her go anywhere near flame alchemy?
My final thoughts: Manga Roy is altogether more dorky and in love with Riza than his anime counterparts and I miss his adorkable self.
I also feel like Arakawa was so good at subtly hinting at how in love these two are and how they basically *do* function like a couple even if they might not be together in the conventional het married with babies way.
today is the 20 year anniversary of vinland saga. this story is incredible. following thorfinn’s journey of revenge as a 16 year old, to a slave learning the beauty of farming, who would later understand the true meaning of “you have no enemies”. thorfinn’s character is so beautiful and so amazing. he devotes himself to a life of peace & to becoming the best man he can be. his strength and courage to be kind is inspiring. yukimura is an amazing storyteller and i am so grateful he took the time to create the perfection that is vinland saga.
i finished alabasta saga!! alabasta arc is 100% my fav arc so far!! so much fun, the story was amazing, the writing was great
i loved meeting ace! he was so much better than i expected! i knew he was a fan favorite but he was so much sweeter and kinder than i thought he would be!
robin’s character is very interesting to me & i’m excited she has joined the straw hats! i have always wanted to see more of her and i’m hoping i get more info on her soon!
vivi is amazing! her character was so beautiful & i felt myself get more invested in the story because of how strongly she felt about her situation. i hope we get to see her again one day!
this saga was so much fun! i switched between the manga & anime and i thought it was the best way for me! i’m so excited to see what comes next!
i've been missing fruits basket so much recently. it really was such an amazing shoujo with so many layers to it. i miss kyo, tohru, yuki, rin, and haru so much. especially the trio...i really grew to become too attached to kyo, tohru, & yuki. it was such an emotional journey. kyo's storyline broke my heart. the slowburn was done so well. but also, the character development throughout the show, especially with yuki, was my favorite. the characters overcame their family trauma to get their happy ending...i just miss them so much.
they look so cute and comfy i love them so much 😭😭
my winter bkdk, I struggle with any romantic scenarios for these two but I think these look cute together, I like the concept :D
Hak and Soowon's relationship is so important to me. The yearning , the angst , the betrayal yet the way they still care so much about each other even when they deny that. Hak and Soowon both play a major part in each other's life. They are both each other's goals and they influence each other's thoughts and actions so much. They cannot get each other out of their heads no matter how much they try to.
i can’t begin to explain how much i love thorfinn. he’s just so kind, hardworking, amazing, incredible, and beautiful!!!!! he's come so far and i'm so proud of him!! from being so defeated to now eager to start his journey is so amazing. he looks so happy and determined to head to greece for a chance at his dream. i just love him so very much!!! <33
i miss them
reunion after bakugo had tp spend a month in a specialized rehab clinic a few hours away
MY FAV HASHIRA 😭😭😭😭😭
Just Giyuu and Mitsuri friendship <3
just read chapter 40 of witch hat atelier and my initial reaction was, "what the hell just happened?" but after rereading it, i think i've come to better understand qifrey's motives.
before it happens, qifrey starts to talk about how happy he is teaching the girls magic. he's at peace in his atelier, living and taking care of the four girls alongside olruggio but he still hasn't let go of what happened in his youth. in fact, the peacefulness he feels every day has made his uneasiness worse. now it isn't only just him that could be hurt. it's his precious students and olruggio that he has to lose now. there's much more at stake than there was before.
so while he begins to confess the truth, he doesn't allow olruggio to keep his memories. qifrey's trauma still haunts him even at his happiest. for some people, they would leave the horrible things in the past to enjoy the good they have in the present. but for qifrey it's an impossible thing to do. it would be so much better to have at least ONE person to confide to and have support you, but qifrey doesn't allow it. it's completely irrational and bound to create problems in the future, but it shows how far qifrey is willing to go to achieve his goal. he CHOOSES to look for answers all on his own knowing the path will be difficult.
qifrey is someone the girls look up to; we see him as a cheerful guy who is someone we can count on. but this chapter showed us that he's still that child searching for answers. it doesn't matter how much time has passed or how much wiser or stronger he has become; he can never move on from his past until he stops the brimmed caps' plan.
i wish qifrey acted in some other way or allowed himself to lean on olruggio but it adds more to his character. he's complicated; he has his own agenda, yet his love for the people in his life is undeniable. he will stop at nothing to find answers but won't endanger his loved ones to get them. this chapter was so well done, and i'm excited to see where this takes the story!
i love how you write about zeno and just how much you love him.
in honor of zeno's birthday, i wanted to make a little post about him
something that really resonates with me about zeno especially in chapter 104 is that even when he knew kaya's end was inevitably near, and even when he knew that this relationship with her would bring him so much pain after her passing, he didn't choose to run away from it
despite seeing her in this condition, one where her illness left her with little time to live and no hope for recovery, he didn't abandon her and leave her to suffer alone. in fact, he embraced his love for her and her love for him, which may have been the first time he's done that since the first dragons died
while i do think and i am aware that he may have yearned for some sort of connection after being lonely for god knows how long and that he may have been in denial at least for some of his time with her, i feel like we can see that as he holds her hand when she passes away that at some point he *did* accept the reality of her death, yet he still stayed and made sure she didn't die alone
it's different from the last time he dealt with significant loss in his life where he was too scared to see the dragons growing old, thus avoiding them ever since they went their separate ways and letting his fear get the best of him
this is my own personal headcanon but maybe it was not just for his sake but for her's too. perhaps he wanted her to have some sort of happiness and companionship in the little time she had left—to be able to make memories with someone else and to be able to experience love till the very end